The only thing Wang He couldn't be certain of was whether Nan Jie's terrifying insects would eventually lose control entirely. He had an intuition that if those red insects went rogue, even he would likely be unable to contain them. They felt far too dangerous. For someone of his level to have such a premonition, it was almost certainly true.
If such horrific insects ever lost control, it would be a catastrophic disaster for the Star-Sea world. In ordinary times, such a dangerous factor would have to be strictly monitored or even eradicated. But in this world war with an uncertain future, it was a necessary power. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Especially since those insects seemed to have a particular fondness for demon flesh and bone.
Moreover, although Wang He hadn't met Nan Jie many times, his Heavenly-Heart Sword Intent allowed him to feel clearly that the Pavilion Master was not someone who enjoyed conflict. This was evident from her preference for productive spirit insects like bees. Seeing the terrifying insects she controlled and the trace of death-defying resolve in her eyes, he understood everything. A sliver of respect for her rose in his heart.
He also couldn't help but marvel at the fact that so many people truly willing to fight to their last breath had gathered around Qi Ping, the Star Emperor. But this was something the Star Emperor deserved. Whether it was his vision and treatment of the people of Star-Sea or his loyalty to his old friends, he was worthy of such devotion. Wang He believed that even if the Star Emperor were one day reduced to a man without the strength to truss a chicken, countless people would still be willing to firmly protect him in his position.
However, Wang He knew that was impossible. Having spent so much time together, he knew how many hidden trump cards and survival methods Qi Ping possessed. This gave him peace of mind; as long as Qi Ping was there, there was hope for everything in the Star-Sea world, and the peace he had spent so much effort maintaining would continue. An emperor who was wise, righteous, yet highly capable of self-preservation was the core and the guarantee for the world's future. Only then would the peace he had painstakingly built and the current life-and-death struggle hold greater meaning.
What puzzled Wang He was that no matter how he searched his memory, he could find no records of those particular insects. The legendary terrifying insects he knew of seemed far less frightening than those red ones. But he didn't dwell on it; for now, it was good news.
He followed the Void-Aether Fish to the next sub-battlefield. According to the reports from the Star-Sea War Command, the situation was not optimistic. Having understood the mysteries of the Heavenly-Heart Asura, he needed to do his best to reclaim the lost ground. Below the Golden Core Stage, there wasn't much room for maneuver, but from the Nascent Soul Stage upward, the Void-Aether Fish's ability to traverse barriers allowed a core group of combatants to attempt to turn the tide.
In the ensuing Nascent Soul battles, under the rampage of the Heavenly-Heart Asura Wang He and the Blood Yu insects commanded by Nan Jie, the demons suffered immensely. They were slaughtered in droves, witnessing for the first time what a true apex predator looked like.
Nan Jie's Blood Yu, in particular, grew and multiplied at a rate that defied common understanding after devouring a massive number of demon Nascent Souls. Their strength reached a level where they could easily kill a demon of the same rank without taking any damage. And they were currently only at the Fourth Order!
They were nearing the breakthrough to the Fifth Order, the equivalent of the Soul Transformation Stage. Given their current performance, it was hard to imagine how terrifying they would become once they reached that level. They truly lived up to their title as one of the top three Taboo insects.
Elsewhere in the Nascent Soul battlefield, the trio of Han Li, Meng Yan, and Zhang Daniu, along with the Thunder Tribulation Immortal Bamboo, successfully protected several world nodes under the guidance of the fish. Their combined combat power was also extraordinary, and their performance was quite brilliant. Although they weren't as preposterous as Wang He or Nan Jie, they had pushed the limits of conventional cultivation. In a sense, these steady cultivators were the core foundation of the Star-Sea world.
The good news from the Nascent Soul battlefields allowed the busy staff in the command center to breathe a sigh of relief. Compared to the disadvantage and defeat in the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment battlefields, the victory in the Nascent Soul tier had a greater impact. At the very least, it seemed hope was not entirely lost.
However, once their gaze moved beyond the Nascent Soul level, the Soul Transformation battlefield entered a horrifying stage of slaughter. Its intensity was far more frightening than anything from the Qi Condensation to the Nascent Soul ranks. At the Soul Transformation level, the demons were no longer merely "ordinary." King-level bloodlines, which were rare at the Nascent Soul level, were common here.
One had to remember that a single King-level demon had hounded Wang He for a long time until his complete awakening allowed him to slay it. Although that was partly due to the Face Demon's specialized survivability, it demonstrated how troublesome they were. The King-level demon that hounded Han Li's trio also required their combined efforts with the bamboo's bloodline power to be killed safely.
From this, one could see that King-level demons were the core combat strength of the Demon Realm. Ordinary demons were merely tools for the "Sea of Demons" tactic, using their above-average strength to sweep away everything in their path. Had it not been for the Star-Sea world's efforts in the last few years—using the power of the entire world to drive the research and mass production of spirit tools and talismans—the continent would have been destroyed instantly in the lower ranks.
Currently, the combat forces of the Star-Sea world in the Soul Transformation battlefield included:
The duo of the Little Green Dragon (head of the Four Sacred Bloodlines) and the Little Immortal Tiger.
The Soul Transformation-level Golden Marrow Bees Qi Ping had carefully nurtured over the years. The current Soul Transformation Balanced Bees had not only reached the Great Perfection of their realm but had also merged nine attributes, including Yin-Yang, Five Elements, Space, and Life. Although the fusion was not yet perfect, their combat power was startling.
The time-type spirit insect that had grown from the reincarnated Eight-Winged Ant Immortal.
Additionally, there were the nearly thirty original Soul Transformation cultivators of the continent and the dozen or so new ones who had broken through recently. Although these cultivators hadn't reached high levels in the past and had only barely reached the Soul Transformation Stage in their old age, it did not mean their talent was poor. To break through in a resource-starved world like the old Star-Sea was an incredible feat. In truth, their success was entirely due to their exceptional talent; otherwise, the Nascent Soul Stage would have been their ceiling.
With many sect legacies severed, they had moved forward using limited knowledge and an iron will. After Qi Ping unified the Nine Domains, everything changed. In terms of manuals, the world's resources were integrated and provided to them unconditionally—the price they paid was merging their sect's foundations into the Academy.
With the supply of various powerful manuals, techniques, and cultivation knowledge, along with the exchange of experience and the increased spiritual energy from the integrated spirit veins, their potential was fully unleashed. Compared to their previous states, it would be an understatement to say one could fight several of their former selves. With the right techniques and a deeper foundation, some could defeat ten of their past versions. Many of them were the meritorious officials who helped Qi Ping conquer the world, receiving the most resources and seeing the highest growth. Furthermore, each of them possessed over five Soul Transformation-level spirit tools—offensive, defensive, auxiliary, and interference-based. They were armed to the teeth and formidable in battle.
Yet, even such a powerful force faced a demon army that was both more numerous and possessed superior bloodlines. While ordinary Soul Transformation demons were troublesome, they were manageable. But the King-level demons were different; their combat power was off the charts, and ordinary human cultivators had no means to deal with them. Had it not been for nearly every human Soul Transformation cultivator carrying the strongest accumulated foundations of the continent, they would have been crushed quickly.
Even so, the situation was not favorable. The overall ratio in the Soul Transformation tier remained one to ten! Faced with such a disparity, if they were to meet head-on, the Star-Sea side would likely be crushed instantly. Fortunately, the World-Domain Battlefield was not like that.
Because the Soul Transformation battlefields were immense and took a long time to traverse, the environment was also incredibly complex. Sometimes, the natural dangers of the battlefield were enough to threaten the lives of Soul Transformation beings. Thus, the human cultivators did not encounter all their enemies at once. Initially, they met them individually. In those early encounters, by relying on various spirit tools and foundations, the human side actually managed to kill many demons with lower bloodline intensity.
The real danger lay with the King-level demons. However, in the early stages, they didn't cause much damage—because these noble-blooded demons valued their own lives too much! Many King-level demons retreated in a wretched state after suffering from the self-detonation of talismans and spirit tools. Their goal was simple: gather with other demons in the same battlefield and then surround the human cultivators.
In truth, these demons were somewhat bewildered. They had never seen Soul Transformation cultivators who were so collectively powerful and troublesome! The Star-Sea Continent was entirely different from the other human worlds they had encountered. In other worlds, although they met powerful individuals, the vast majority were easy to handle. Most had a trump card—perhaps a pill to temporarily boost strength, a powerful spell, or a single strong tool. These were annoying, but once endured, the demons could feast as they pleased. They had fangs, but once pulled, they were harmless.
But what was with this Star-Sea world? Every single human cultivator had a pile of pills and spirit tools. Their manuals and spells were clearly high-tier. Furthermore, they had all sorts of talismans. Preposterously, these humans seemed to know the characteristics and methods of every demon race, having specific strategies for whoever they met. Due to this ridiculous reason, several King-level demons had miscalculated and met their end!
This world was too eerie—how could every cultivator be so absurd? This was unprecedented in their memories! This miscalculation led to massive losses for the demons in the initial clashes and struck fear into them.
Consequently, the demons changed their strategy. They used their bloodline advantage to command ordinary Soul Transformation demons to wear down the humans' trump cards and strength. Simultaneously, they were gathering more King-level demons, preparing to kill these troublesome humans without risk at the final moment.
The human cultivators could do nothing about this. They could only gather with their fellows and the Golden Marrow Bees. No one doubted the combat power of the Star Emperor's famous pets. After gathering the majority of the bees under the direction of the command center, they actively began searching and killing. Through cooperation, they slew a large number of low-tier demons without exhausting their own trump cards, while searching for world nodes.
This caused the initial and middle stages of the battle to lean toward the Star-Sea side. However, this did not make anyone relax. Everyone knew that once those terrifying demons completed their gathering and used the lower demons to exhaust the humans' cards, the true life-and-death struggle would begin. At that moment, the entire Soul Transformation battlefield would enter a state of the most frantic and bloody slaughter.